


Loopholes

by AdrianWrites



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Brotherhood, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Family Secrets, Gen, Human Klaus Mikaelson, Parent Klaus Mikaelson, Protective Elijah Mikaelson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:28:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdrianWrites/pseuds/AdrianWrites
Summary: Vincent Griffith brokers a deal with the ancestors on behalf of the Mikaelsons: Klaus's immortal life for the chance to see his daughter grow up.In other words: Klaus is a human, Hope is a badass, and Elijah is a mess.





	1. ELIJAH

It had been ten days since Niklaus Mikaelson died. He gave his life, so that his daughter may live. Or, at least that’s what most of the supernatural world thought. The truth was that Klaus Mikaelson was currently sitting in the backseat of his brother’s Escalade, shoving a McDonald's cheeseburger into his mouth.

“Is this what’s it like to be human?” he asked around a mouthful of food. “I don’t remember being this hungry all the time.”

“You haven’t been human for over a thousand years, brother,” Elijah shared a quick smile with his niece, Hope, before returning his eyes to the road. He had been driving for fifteen hours straight, half of which Klaus slept, quite restlessly. Elijah figured an increase in nightmares was a side effect of Klaus’s newly returned humanity.  _ No price is too high.  _ Elijah had said those words to Vincent Griffith in the courtyard of their New Orleans home ten days ago. He had been desperate to save his brother’s life, so he set every witch he could to the task of finding yet another loophole in the short amount of time they had.

The ancestors offered up their loophole to Vincent: Klaus would be killed and resurrected as a human, but as a human unable to be turned into a vampire and unable to tap into his witch or werewolf genetics. Niklaus Mikaelson was to be truly and fully human for the rest of his mortal life. The ancestors had one more caveat. Upon Hope Mikaelson’s death, she would be consecrated in New Orleans so that they could tap into her power. Hope had made that deal with the ancestors directly. She had given her word. Elijah, however, did not give his, and when he inevitably outlived his only semi-immortal niece, he had no intention of tainting her afterlife by delivering her bones to the witches.

Elijah had made one more deal in order to save his brother, this one to Vincent directly. Vincent would only help if Klaus and Elijah, in his words, “got the hell out of New Orleans and never came back.” He thought it was a fair enough deal. Rebekah was allowed to stay in New Orleans at Marcel Gerard’s side, Kol and Davina Claire had left together, and Freya was planning on leaving alongside her wife Keelin and Vincent himself. Hope had school to return to and Klaus was never going to leave her side now that they were back together. Elijah didn’t feel comfortable letting his brother, the most infamous vampire in all of history, run off in his new and very vulnerable form, so he had packed up his belongings, got in his vehicle, and drove from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mystic Falls, Virginia, the only home the three of them had left.

 

They had been in town for less than five minutes before they were attacked. They had stopped to eat at the Mystic Grill, per Klaus’s request and Hope’s insistence. They had only just got their appetizers when Elijah noticed that the building was gradually becoming devoid of all its occupants. Once the room was clear of all but the three Mikaelsons, the concerned parties made their entrance to the tune of a crossbow firing. Alaric Saltzman was a good shot. The stake he fired was aimed precisely for Klaus’s heart. Elijah plucked it out of midair just before it could land and made a deliberate show of standing in between his brother and the vampire hunter turned school headmaster.

“Dr. Saltzman!” Hope exclaimed, coming out from behind her father and uncle. Alaric aimed his crossbow at the ground.

“The two of them aren’t welcome in Mystic Falls, Hope. You know that.”

“That’s rather unfortunate,” Klaus said, peering around his brother’s shoulder to address the hunter directly, “considering we’re here to stay.”

“Like hell you are,” it was Matt Donovan this time. The sheriff entered the room and shuffled along with his back to one wall. He had his gun out and aimed at the brothers. Elijah shifted again, blocking Klaus from either man as best he could. Matt raised an eyebrow at this. “The big bad hybrid hiding behind his brother? I expected more from you Klaus.”

“We have a lot to discuss,” Elijah gestured to an empty table.

“We have nothing to discuss. Leave. Now.”

“Oh, I think you’ll like what I have to say.” Klaus slowly stepped out from behind Elijah, his hands raised in surrender, his devilish smirk present as always. He walked over to the table and took a seat. Hope sat to his right and Elijah stood at the corner between the two, ready to jump in front of the bullet he expected the sheriff to fire off at any moment. After a brief moment, Alaric made his way over to the Mikaelsons, joining them at the table. 

“Okay. You’ve got my attention,” Alaric kept his eyes locked on the former hybrid.

Klaus waited until the sheriff holstered his weapon before speaking. “The two of you will be delighted to know that I’ve regained my humanity.”

Alaric laughed, brief and sarcastic. “Just because you took the darkness from your daughter doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a good person, Klaus.”

“I wasn’t speaking metaphorically,” Klaus continued, suddenly quite interested in the numerous tiny nicks in the tabletop, “I have, literally, regained my humanity.”

There was a moment of silence as the two other humans processed what they just heard. Klaus kept his eyes locked on the table. Elijah kept his eyes locked on Matt. Hope bounced her knee up and down, looking between the others, waiting for a reaction. 

Then Matt unfolded his arms and took a seat. “Prove it.”

Klaus held out his palm to Alaric, who pulled out his pocket knife and made a shallow cut along across Klaus’s hand. They all waited a moment until it was clear that Klaus no longer had supernatural healing. Elijah took a bite out of his own hand and offered it to his brother.

“How?” Matt asked, sitting back in his chair.

“To make a long story short,” Klaus replied, wiping a bit off excess blood from his lip, “I gave up my immortality in order to live out a normal, human life by my daughter’s side. I know I haven’t exactly been an upstanding citizen over the past thousand years, but trust me when I say I have no other intention besides being a decent father. Nor do I have the means of harming you or the citizens of Mystic Falls.”

“You’ve made a lot of enemies over the years, Klaus.”

“Which is why I’m here, to protect him from anyone who wishes to capitalize on his new, fragile state,” Elijah explained.

“He could bring his enemies here, to Mystic Falls.”

“Unlikely. The only people who even know that Niklaus lives are our siblings, their spouses, one witch very eager to at least  _ pretend _ he’s dead, and now the two of you,” Elijah reassured, “and if by some chance anyone does come starting trouble, you will have my full and eager cooperation in resolving the matter.” He layered on his charm as much as he could. The sheriff wasn’t much affected by it, but he did seem much more relaxed since learning of Klaus’s new, more harmless form.

“I assume you’ll be staying at your old mansion,” Alaric half asked, half stated.

“We will,” Klaus replied, “and you’ll only ever see me at the parent-teacher conferences”

Alaric could only roll his eyes in response.

 

After discussing their new situation with the sheriff for another half hour and switching over the ownership of the Mystic Falls Mikaelson mansion to Hope, the three of them finally arrived at the previously mentioned family home just over seventeen hours after leaving New Orleans, Louisiana, for quite possibly the last time. They gathered up the limited belongings they brought with them and headed for the door, Elijah stopping just before reaching the threshold. 

“Hope, do you mind?” He asked, catching the attention of the very tired teenager who was already making her way towards the grand staircase, doubtlessly planning on claiming the nearest bedroom for herself and heading straight to bed.

“I don’t know… should I?” Hope teased, “what do you think, Dad?”

“That could be dangerous. Who knows what a vicious, bloodsucking vampire would do to us innocent, defenseless mortals?” Klaus replied before the two broke out in a fit of laughter. Elijah couldn’t help but smile.  _ We are a thousand years of emptiness, an endless parade of slaughter. Until your daughter came to us. Now she is everything, Niklaus, worth every fight, worth every sacrifice. She must not suffer the same fate.  _ Elijah had said that to his brother many years ago and his sentiment remained. She had lost her mother, something he still blamed himself for, but her father would be by her side. Elijah, himself, would be by her side, and he knew that if Hope needed them that Kol, Rebekah, Freya, Marcellus, Davina, Keelin, and even Vincent would come running. They would ensure that Hope would never have to live the life they did. They would do anything to protect her, to keep her safe and happy. And Elijah would do anything to make up for not being there when she needed him the most. 

“Uncle Elijah,” Hope said, after finally recomposing herself, “come on in.”

Elijah kept smiling as he joined his family in the foyer. He kept smiling as Hope raced off, dead set on picking her room first. He kept smiling as she claimed the room that once belonged to Niklaus, and smiled even bigger when his brother claimed the room that used to be his, with a smirk and a “if I can’t have my old room, neither can you.” He kept smiling as he walked past the bedrooms that used to belong to Kol and Rebekah, eventually settling of one of the old guest rooms that remained untouched. He stopped smiling when he shut the door behind him, because  _ Damn it, she should’ve been here with them. _


	2. KLAUS

_ Klaus Mikaelson stood in Lafayette Cemetery, surrounded by his family. Rebekah and Kol stood beside Keelin at the end of the walkway that led up to Vincent’s centerpiece. Circling the centerpiece itself were the three witches who would be saving his life: Freya, Davina Claire, and Vincent Griffith, all of whom he once considered his enemies. Funny how family can bring together the most bitter of foes. His daughter, Hope, stood just outside of the salt ring encompassing him. Elijah was at his side. _

_ “Now remember Elijah,” Vincent explained, “you are Klaus’s connection to the human world. The two of you will going over to meet the ancestors so they can strip away his power. It’s going to hurt, but you can’t let go. If you do, he’s lost for good.” _

_ Elijah nodded, taking a dagger from the witch and cutting open his palm. Klaus did the same and the two locked hands. The witches began chanting, fire spewed from the braziers around them, and the wind started to pick up. Elijah picked up the white oak stake and leveled it at Klaus’s heart. _

_ “Are you ready, brother?” He asked. Klaus only nodded in response, taking one last glance over at Hope. She was the reason he was going through with this. She is worth every sacrifice.  He closed his eyes tightly. Then he felt the stake pierce his heart. He felt the burning throughout his body. Then he felt the cold, the ice seep into his soul, and when he opened his eyes, they were gone. Hope, Kol, Rebekah, the witches, they were all gone. All except Elijah. _

_ The two of them stood together in the otherwise empty City of the Dead. Elijah looked Klaus over, as if studying a stranger. Klaus raised an eyebrow at him, but before Elijah could speak, the dead came marching in. The past witches of New Orleans surrounded them in mere moments. Just as Klaus was beginning to think twice about his decision, they began chanting. The ones closest to them reached out, grabbing at their clothes. It felt like they were pulling him apart, like his very essence was being ripped out of him at the root.  _

_ Elijah squeezed his hand even tighter and Klaus knew his brother was feeling the same pain. Klaus looked over at him, opening his mouth to call out, to apologize, to say anything, but the words froze in his throat. He fell to his knees as the agony continued, as every bone in his body shattered and his skin turned to dust. He looked up at his older brother, his eternal guardian, and found him staring back. Elijah’s face twisted into something more sinister than Klaus had ever seen. _

_ “You aren’t worth this pain, brother.” Elijah growled down at him. _

_ “You aren’t worth all I’ve given up for you.” It was Rebekah this time. He looked around, saw her face in the crowd before she disappeared in the sea of bodies. _

_ “You aren’t worth the dirt on my boots, boy!” Klaus turned to see Mikael slip back into the crowd. _

_ “You aren’t worth my time.” Kol. _

_ “You aren’t worth remembering.” Esther. _

_ “You aren’t worth fighting for.” Freya. She was turning her back on him. They all were. All the witches left the way they came. His siblings were gone. Elijah was gone. He fought the pain and pushed himself to his feet. Hope Mikaelson stood at the end of the dark corridor. She looked just like her mother. All but her devilish eyes. She set those eyes on her father with hellfire in them. _

_ “You aren’t worthy of being my dad.” And then she was gone. _

 

Klaus woke up screaming.

Elijah burst into the room, already dressed and ready for the day. He came to Klaus’s side.

“Are you okay, brother?” He asked, eyes wide with concern.

“What time is it?” He ignored Elijah’s question, pushing past his brother and heading to his dresser. Elijah told him it was a quarter past six in the morning and that Hope was downstairs. As if summoned by her mention, she came to a stop at the open doorway.

“What happened?” She was dressed in her school uniform, a white dress shirt, navy cardigan emblazoned with the Salvatore insignia, and a plaid skirt. That’s when Klaus smelled the bacon Elijah had likely been frying just before rushing upstairs to check on him. It was morning. His brother was cooking breakfast. His daughter was up and ready for school. It was all so…  _ normal. _

“Nothing, sweetheart. Just a bad dream, is all,” Klaus responded, ignoring his family’s collective looks of concern and gently herding them out of his room. “Go, Elijah, you’re burning the bacon. I’ll be down in just a moment.” As soon as they were gone, Klaus walked over to his attached bathroom. He looked himself over in the mirror. His hair was getting a little too long and his eyes looked bloodshot, the redness especially noticeable against the dark bags underneath. He splashed some cool water over his face and took a deep breath. And then another. And another.  _ You aren’t worthy. _

 

Klaus came downstairs twenty-seven minutes later, showered, shaved, and dressed in the best clothes he had brought with him back to Mystic Falls: clean jeans and a dark blue sweater. He joined them at the dining room table, piling his plate high with scrambled eggs, hash browns, only slightly blackened bacon, and a biscuit which he promptly loaded with butter and blackberry jam before shoving it into his mouth.

“Nervous for your first day of junior year?” He asked, in between bites.

“Not really,” Hope replied with a shrug, “besides classes don’t start back up officially until next week. Today is just move in day. But since I stayed at the school over the summer, my stuff is still there, so I don’t really have any moving in to do. Dr. Saltzman just wants us all to move in a week ahead of time, so we can make friends and sing Kumbaya around a campfire or something.”

“Better to make friends than enemies. Right, Klaus?” Elijah smirked at him from over the newspaper he was reading.

“You’re a Mikaelson, sweetheart; you’re sure to have plenty of both.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Hope rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. Klaus exchanged a look with his brother before she continued. “The Saltzman twins pretty much hate me. Or at least Lizzie does. Josie is… Josie. MG is basically the only vampire I know personally and I’m not that close with the witches or the wolves. My only friend at school is…  _ was  _ Roman.” Her face shifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, more sadness than anger. Then her mask came back up. “Anyway, I’m rambling. And almost late. Let’s go.” She jumped up and rushed out the door before either brother could say anything.

 

The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted was only a short drive from the Mikaelson mansion. Elijah drove with Hope in the passenger seat. Yet again Klaus had been relegated to the backseat, but he understood. For all intents and purposes, Klaus Mikaelson was dead. He had tagged along to see his daughter off, but Elijah was Hope’s legal guardian now and would carry out the necessary duties of the role. A part of Klaus hated it. He wanted to be there for her, to be her father. But this was the only way to live out his days with his progeny without putting both his and her life in danger. So he accepted it, and suffered in silence. 

When they arrived at the school, Hope turned around in her seat to say goodbye before stepping out of the vehicle. Elijah gave Klaus a look of sympathy before joining his niece. Klaus watched them walk up to the front door of the building, stopping to speak with the Saltzman twins beneath the shade of the overhang. He was once more struck by just how normal it all seemed. From an outsider’s perspective it appeared as if an affluent gentleman were dropping off his daughter at her private school. An outsider wouldn’t know that the private school was really a secret academy for supernatural beings, that the “daughter” was an immensely powerful werewolf-vampire-witch hybrid, or that the gentleman’s charm and fancy clothes hid a past bloodier and more vicious than any normal human could imagine. 

The blonde twin, Lizzie, was doing most of the talking. She had caught Elijah’s attention and ushered him inside with the wave of an arm. The two were followed closely by Hope and the other twin, Josie. Klaus watched as student after student gradually shuffled in through the front doors. Some were flanked by their parents and guardians. Others went in with their friends. Many walked in alone. Klaus thought about Hope and how she was very nearly one of those kids, orphaned at such a young age, and suddenly he felt a pang of sadness in his chest.

He laughed dryly and turned away, blinking the tears from his eyes.  _ What the hell is happening to me?  _ When he turned back,  _ she  _ was standing there. Caroline Forbes was as breathtaking as ever. Despite being unaging, she looked more mature, much more adult than the lively teenage vampire he so recklessly fell in love with nearly two decades ago. The last time he saw her, they had said their goodbyes. That was before Elijah found the loophole, back when Klaus was prepared to die.

He knew he shouldn’t, but his body started moving without clearing it with his brain. One moment he was sitting behind the tinted black windows, content to just watch from afar, and the next he was crossing the open lot in staggered steps. His breathing was erratic and his heart was pounding in his chest.  _ Bloody hell, Klaus, pull yourself together.  _ She was speaking with a new student, reassuring them that life at the school was going to help them find themselves without the fear of being a lone vampire out in the world. Klaus smiled at her words, keeping his head down and a distance between himself and the last few students funneling into the old Salvatore Boarding House. 

After the last kids went in, Caroline made a very deliberate show of closing the door behind them. He took that as his cue to approach. He locked his shaky hands behind his back and felt the sweat from his palms.  _ Humans are so gross,  _ he thought, as he continued reacquainting himself with aspects of living he had long since forgotten. 

“What was the point of the sappy goodbye if you were just going to find some way out of it anyway?” The vampire asked, not even turning to face him.

“I thought it was goodbye. I was prepared for it to be. My brother, however, simply refuses to let me go,” he replied, taking another shaky step closer. Then another. She turned and quickly closed the distance, pulling him into a too-tight hug for a split second before backing up and hitting him in the shoulder a little too hard for his newly human body.

“Thirteen days Klaus! It’s been thirteen days since you told me about your plan for redemptive suicide, since you told me goodbye, and not so much as one phone call? Not even a text? I had to learn you were still alive through Rebekah,” She had that typical Caroline Forbes look of concern on her face, with her scrunched up eyebrows and tightly set jaw.

“Guess she didn’t tell you the whole story,” he rubbed his shoulder where he no-doubt had his first bruise in over a thousand years. “I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify a bit of age and time tampering I've done for purposes of proper storytelling: in this fic Hope and the twins (and the other major Legacies characters) are the same age (16) and are starting their junior year. In this fic the events of The Originals S5 occurred two weeks prior to this chapter. This fic starts one year prior to the events of Legacies S1.


	3. ELIJAH

Walking up to the front doors of the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted, Elijah had to admit that he was impressed. Dr. Saltzman and Ms. Caroline Forbes had done a wonderful job repurposing the old Salvatore home into an academy for supernatural adolescents. He knew Hope would do well here. Of course, she had been attending the school for years while he was off on his self-induced amnesiatic sabbatical. But he felt much more comfortable knowing he was only fifteen minutes away instead of fifteen hours or more. He knew Hope would need family now that… 

He didn’t want to think about it, about  _ her,  _ but it was too late. Now his mind filled with thoughts of her, and his heart was racing and his chest was getting tighter and tighter. He wanted to run, to go back to his SUV and drive as far away as he could get. He wanted to get away from his brother, and Hope.  _ Hope.  _ The constant reminder of his greatest failure. 

_ It’s not her fault,  _ he reminded himself. He knew that. She was suffering from the loss just as much as he was and somehow she found a way to forgive him. He supposed if Hope could forgive him then surely he could learn to forgive himself. He shook the thoughts from his head and followed his niece to where the Saltzman girls stood, looking about the sea of new arrivals. The brunette, Josette noticed them first and elbowed her sister to get her attention. The blonde, Elizabeth, flashed a look of confusion upon seeing Elijah accompanying Hope, but quickly composed herself.

“Good morning, Mr. Marshall. My name is Lizzie Saltzman. This is my sister Josie.” She greeted him with a smile and an outstretched hand. Elijah took it delicately, ignoring the sudden sharpness in his chest.

“Mikaelson,” he corrected, “Elijah Mikaelson. I am Hope’s paternal uncle.”

“Mikaelson? Like Klaus?” Josette interjected. A look of shock appeared on her face when Elijah turned his eyes on her, as if she was almost surprised at hearing her own voice.

“Yes, Niklaus was my brother,” he feigned a look of sadness before adding, “he passed away recently.”

“I’m sorry,” Josette looked down, hiding behind her big three-ring binder. Elijah imagined all the girl knew of Klaus Mikaelson were all the dark and terrible things he had done over the years. After all, there was a reason Hope went by Marshall instead of her true name.

“Wait. Does that mean Klaus is your…” Elizabeth turned her attention to Hope.

“Dad. Yep, the big bad supervillain Klaus Mikaelson is, er,  _ was  _ my dad,” his niece responded, refusing to make eye contact with the other girl. She was a terrible liar. He couldn’t decide whether or not that was a good thing. “Which reminds me, my name is actually Hope Mikaelson, not Marshall. Although I suppose either works fine. They’re both equally dead…” She looked over at him in a silent plea for help. 

“So, Elizabeth, do you mind showing me around the school? It’s been awhile since I’ve been here and I’ve yet to see the changes your parents have made to the building.”

“Oh, yes! Of course,” the young witch took the lead, ushering Elijah inside alongside her. Hope and Josette filed in behind them. “So the school was repurposed from the old Salvatore Boarding House after Stefan Salvatore died and his brother Damon moved away, but you, uh, already knew that.” Elijah could hear her heartbeat getting faster. She led them into what was once the living room. “The living room was turned into a commons area, where the students can hang out and socialize in between classes. We mostly just have the three most common supernaturals here: vampires, werewolves, and of course, witches.” She did a small curtsy at that. Elijah smiled then; not the fake, plastered on simper he’s become so accustomed to showing the world, but a genuine smile at the girl’s showmanship. She was just like her mother.

“Elijah.” Speaking of. Elijah turned to face the headmistress. He had never been especially close with Caroline Forbes, but he had always respected her. She was a survivor, more befitting of immortality than most. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” She was a good actor, he had to give her that. Her face told of sympathy, but he still saw the light in her eyes. She knew the truth. One of his siblings must have broken the news to her before they arrived in Virginia.

“Thank you, Ms. Forbes. It is a rough time for my family, but I’m glad to be by my niece’s side since my brother can’t be here himself,” he replied, low and with narrowed eyes. He noted the slight tick of a smile at the corner of her mouth. 

“Well, I should probably go greet the new students. Elijah, you should go speak with Ric in his office. Lizzie can show you the way,” and then Caroline was gone, practically sprinting to the door. He had no idea how she and her brother managed to stay apart from one another for so long, acting out their little charade of indifference.

“Right this way, Mr. Mikaelson,” Elizabeth led him on through the Stefan Salvatore Memorial Library and into an office in the back corner of the academy, where Dr. Alaric Saltzman sat behind his desk, shuffling through papers.

“Ah, Elijah, come sit. Thank you Lizzie.” Once Elijah had taken a seat across from Dr. Saltzman and Elizabeth had gone from the room, the door closed behind her, the former vampire hunter put down his work and set his eyes upon the Original. “I have some questions I’d like you to answer.”

“Like I said at the grill the other day, you have my full cooperation.”

“I appreciate it. Let’s start simple: how often should I expect to see you?”

“Quite often, I’d imagine. I do intend on being a part of my niece’s life, in whatever capacity she will have me.” He flashed back to the day he found out about Hope’s existence. He swore to himself on that day that there wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do to protect her. When she was born he felt love and pride unlike any he had felt before, for if his family could bring something as good as her into the world, then all the pain and suffering he had gone through for the past thousand years was worth it. Now that he had a place by her side, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“That’s fair. And how often will I see Klaus?”

“You won’t be seeing Niklaus at all. My brother is dead.”

“Right. Theoretically speaking, of course, if your brother was somehow brought back to life as a human. What would be preventing him from becoming a vampire again whenever he wanted? He doesn’t seem the type to actually choose humanity over immortality.”

“Ancestral magic. Niklaus’s human body comes with some rules that prevent him from harnessing any aspect from the supernatural world himself. Both his witch and werewolf bloodlines have been entirely neutralized and we’ve been warned that dying with vampire blood in his system will have no effect, something neither of us are willing to put to the test.”

“And you’re still a vampire?”

“That’s correct.”

“Which means you’ll need to feed. Mystic Falls has been vampire free for nearly a decade now. Matt won’t be very enthusiastic about you feeding on the civilians.”

“I don’t mind traveling for my food. And I don’t take more than I need, so there won’t be any bodies left behind to explain.” The ability to control his bloodlust as a vampire was a skill Elijah seemed to be alone in having. It was likely the only reason Dr. Saltzman and the Sheriff accepted his arrival as easily as they did.

“Alright,” Alaric exclaimed with a sigh of relief, “that only leaves one matter of business left. As Hope’s legal guardian, I’m going to need your contact information for the school records.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will vary in length, but they will typically fall between 1,000 and 3,000 words. I do not have a schedule planned out, so the fic will be updated rather irregularly, but generally quite frequently. The chapters will mainly follow the three Mikaelsons integral to this story: Elijah, Klaus, and Hope. The frequency of specific characters' POVs and inclusion of side characters will be dependent both on story progression and the feedback I get from the readers, so feel free to comment with your two-cents. Thank you for reading my grief-induced service piece.


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